Therapy for depression, low energy, and feeling disconnected from yourself
If you've been feeling persistently low, flat, or disconnected, and the things that used to matter no longer reach you, what you're describing has a name and it has treatment. Depression is more common than most people realize, and in Miami it often runs underneath schedules that look successful from the outside.
Depression doesn't always look like sadness. It can look like exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, irritability you can't trace, a quiet distance from people you love, or a sense that you're performing a life from the outside instead of living it. It can build slowly enough that you adjust to it, and only notice in retrospect how much of yourself has gone offline.
Therapy can help, but not by pushing you to "think positive." It works by understanding what your depression is doing, what it's organized around, and what it would take to get your energy and attention back. At Terra Counseling Center, we work with adults across the full range of depression, from low-grade, long-running heaviness to acute episodes. We see clients in English and Spanish, in person at our Coral Way office and via telehealth across Florida.
Signs it might be more than a hard stretch
Depression shows up differently in different people. Some signals that what you're dealing with may be more than a rough patch:
Persistent low mood, flatness, or numbness lasting more than two weeks
Loss of interest or pleasure in things that used to matter - Fatigue or low energy that rest doesn't restore
Changes in sleep — sleeping much more or much less than usual
Changes in appetite, weight, or your relationship to food
Difficulty concentrating, deciding, or following through
A heavier inner critic — guilt, shame, or self-blame that's hard to interrupt
Feeling disconnected from yourself, your relationships, or your sense of purpose
Thoughts of not wanting to be here, or that others would be better off without you
You don't need to meet a diagnostic threshold to come in. If you've been quietly aware that this isn't how you want to feel, that's reason enough.
If you're in immediate crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, please call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room. Therapy is the next step after that, not a substitute for it.
Why depression is worth treating, not just enduring
Depression argues its own case. It tells you you're tired because you're lazy, alone because you're unlovable, stuck because nothing would help anyway. Therapy interrupts that argument. In our work together, we focus on:
Understanding what's underneath — the patterns, experiences, or unmet needs your depression is responding to, not just the surface symptoms
Restoring energy and engagement — through behavioral and somatic strategies that meet your nervous system where it is, rather than asking you to push through
Working with the inner critic — the harsh, exhausting voice that often keeps depression locked in place
Reconnecting to what matters — relationships, meaning, and the parts of you that have gone quiet
Building durable coping — so that when depression returns (and for many people, it does), you have language, tools, and a relationship with a clinician who knows you
How we work with depression at Terra
There's no single right approach to depression, because depression has multiple drivers: biological, situational, relational, and historical. We integrate several evidence-based modalities, drawing from what's most likely to help given what you're carrying:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — for working with the thought patterns that fuel hopelessness, rumination, and self-criticism. Rooted in the work of Aaron T. Beck, who developed the framework that became the foundation of modern depression treatment.
Behavioral activation — for the version of depression that's collapsed into withdrawal and avoidance. We work in small, sustainable steps to reintroduce contact with what gives life meaning.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) — particularly useful for recurrent depression. Developed by Segal, Williams, and Teasdale, MBCT teaches you to recognize the early signs of a depressive shift and respond differently.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) — for the layered, multi-voiced experience of depression: the part of you that's exhausted, the part that's critical, the part that's quietly grieving. Richard Schwartz's IFS model offers a way to listen to each without being run by any of them.
Psychodynamic and depth work — for depression that's tied to unresolved grief, early relational experiences, or patterns that have been with you a long time.
Somatic and body-aware approaches — for the depression that lives in the body as fatigue, heaviness, and disconnection. We can integrate somatic experiencing techniques when they fit.
EMDR — when there's underlying trauma feeding the depression that traditional talk therapy hasn't reached.
We don't choose a modality before we know you. The first few sessions are about understanding what's actually going on, and from there, we shape the work together.
What to expect in our sessions
Sessions are 50 minutes, typically weekly to start. Early on, we focus on getting a clear picture of your depression: its shape, its history, what makes it heavier or lighter, what's been tried before. We talk about what you want therapy to help with, and we're honest about what's realistic and on what timeline.
Some weeks are practical: strategies, structure, things you can carry into the days between sessions. Other weeks are slower, working through material you haven't had room to feel and naming things that have been hard to name. We pace the work to your nervous system and check in regularly so therapy stays useful.
Types of depression we treat
Depression isn't one thing. The therapy that fits depends on what kind of depression is showing up.
Major depression — episodes of significant low mood, fatigue, and loss of interest lasting two weeks or longer
Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) — a chronic, lower-grade depression that's been part of life for years
Postpartum and perinatal depression — depression during pregnancy or after birth, often paired with anxiety
Situational depression — a meaningful low following a specific life event such as loss, illness, or transition
Grief-related depression — when grief deepens into something that interferes with daily functioning
Treatment-resistant or recurring depression — when previous therapy or medication hasn't been enough
Meet the therapists who treat depression in Miami
Both clinicians work with depression. They have different training and different strengths, and we'll match you with whoever fits.
Miguel Barillas, LCSW brings a depth-oriented, somatically informed approach to depression. His training combines psychodynamic foundations with Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, MBCT, and Internal Family Systems, making him especially well-suited for depression with roots in unresolved grief, trauma, or long-standing relational patterns. He works in English and Spanish and sees adults, adolescents, and children.
Angelique Alonso, PhD works with depression through a blend of CBT, psychodynamic, emotionally focused, and attachment-based approaches, with a relational, insight-oriented frame. She's particularly skilled with the depression that runs alongside anxiety, mood disorders, and complex relational patterns. She works in English and Spanish and sees adults, adolescents, and children.
If you're not sure who's the right fit, the free 15-minute consultation is the easiest way to find out.
Begin depression therapy in Miami
If you're ready to start, or just ready to ask questions, the next step is a free 15-minute consultation. We see clients in person at our Coral Way office in Miami and via telehealth across Florida. The consultation is a chance to describe what's been going on, hear how we'd approach it, and decide whether it's the right fit before booking a first session.